tcarl

What do you do when you are buying a custom bike?[/QUOTE]

By the time you spend several hours and a few hundred dollars to be professionally measured and "fitted", then talk with the frame designer for a few hours telling him all about the type of riding you do now and exactly what you want the new bike to do, and then he measures your current bike in more ways than you knew was possible - when the custom bike arrives all you'll have to do is unpack it, make a few minor adjustments to things like seat height or handle bar tilt, and it will be all ready to go, fitting perfectly and handling just as you requested.

Stucky

No, it's not O-K. That's why I fled that cesspool many years ago. It's just a fact of life though- many things are different in NYC than the rest of the country. Big box stores there have extra-high security; you walk through metal detectors when entering a school; etc.

ltxi

Disagree. The last time I bought a bike a quick ride in the shopping center parking lot was all I needed to confirm I was making a correct choice. If it wasn't as expected right I would have known immediately....and that can happen with anything.

Machka 

I do remember what it was like to be a beginner ... I still have that bicycle. My father bought it for himself, then a matter of weeks later, he found one he liked better, so he gave that first one to me.

It was (and still is) way too big for me, and fairly heavy. But I adjusted it as best I could based on what I read in books I got from the library ... and rode thousands of kilometers on it. I even rode centuries on it.

However, as the years passed, I moved and had the opportunity to observe other cyclists (where I had lived there weren't many cyclists at all). I also had the opportunity to read more books (where I had lived had a very small library). And I started compiling a list of things I wanted in a new bicycle should I ever be able to afford one.

One of the things I wanted was a much shorter top tube so that I could ride with my hands on the hoods. That was one of the things I observed other cyclists doing, and I couldn't even begin to reach my hoods. But there were other things I wanted as well.

I joined a racing club with ideas of racing on that bicycle, but fortunately the club members wouldn't hear of it and they loaned me a bicycle. That was my first experience on a bicycle that sort of almost fit.

Not long after, I finally bought another bicycle ... but in my enthusiasm to buy a smaller bicycle, I got one that was too small. I rode it down the block and back, and it felt better than my large bicycle. So I bought it. I tried to ride it for about a year but it just didn't work. Fortunately club members again came to my rescue, and one bought it off me for his wife for the same price I had paid for it. His wife was about 6 inches shorter than me and was having some trouble finding a bicycle that fit her. That one did ... and she loved it!

So then I did a little more research on sizing, and bought a Giant OCR3 because it was the only bicycle in town in my price range, and also in the ballpark of the right size. I didn't do a road test ride on that bicycle at all ... just on the trainer in the shop. And although the shop expressed a great deal of reluctance to do any sort of fitting ... "We don't believe in fittings" announced one of the staff ... I insisted and they did.

And I was finally on the road to comfortable bicycles.

Lots of reading, lots of research, taking the opportunity to try out bicycles when the opportunity presented itself, and having an idea what I wanted ... my wish list ... all helped.

plumberroy

My wife has some health issues we were looking for a bike to set up in a trainer and she could ride outside when she felt confident enough . Our local shop they put a bike in the trainer when that didn't fit they ordered a 24 in bike for her to try had it in the trainer when we got there .
Roy

avidone1

New York is the greatest city in the world. With 8 million people there will be plenty of bad guys there will plenty of good guys to.
If you use some common sense NYC is actually a pretty safe place.
Don't be hatin'

Rolltide15

Need some guidance on buying my first bike. I've historically done a lot of running but am coming off a back injury and cannot do distance running for a while.
As a novice, the types of bikes and associated costs are very confusing. I will primarily use this bike for rides around and hour or so. I would prefer to do speed work, hills and intervals. I don't have any plans right now to do any races…this is purely for fitness at this point. Also, I don't want to break the bank.
Any suggestions for a newbie or point me to previous posts?
Thanks!

Stucky

Yes, with some forethought and luck, one can stay safe. But that does not negate the fact that personal safety concerns occupy a large part of NYers lives (How many other places do you see middle-class residents living with bars on their windows and 4 locks on their doors?); and more importantly, it does not negate the fact that in NYC, one is often treated like/assumed to be a criminal by gov't and businesses. It is only natural that where anonymity and high levels of crime exist, that businesses would take extra steps to protect their property (Not to mention that because of the density of population, people are often treated like cattle).

Greatest city in the world? Perhaps if you don't have to live there, and just go for a vacation. Live with the realities of the place on a daily basis for many years, and it is quite different.

Even the act of merely riding a bike there- (while it can be fun jamming with the traffic), is often a huge hassle, where one is either forced to be an outlaw if one wants to really ride...or to observe a myriad of regulations and protocols which essentially neuter you.

And seriously, why do you think it is that ALL of the LBS's that the OP visited had the same modus operandi? They know the realities of existing in NYC, and are doing what is necessary to protect themselves (And bear in mind that most places on Staten Island are among the lowest crime areas in the city.....)

manc

Evans Cycles here in the U.K. has a good test ride policy. Free test rides on any bike | Help | Evans Cycles
Debit card transaction of 1p. Plus photo I.D.
I'm sure the rules maybe relaxed for known customers. But its generally the same for everyone however well-heeled you are.
Just because you look trustworthy, doesn't mean that you are.

GovernorSilver

I realized I was a bit snarky there. Sorry about that.

If the LBS's in my area are as awful as the ones in yours (based on my reading of your posts - sorry if I misunderstand) , I'd be reluctant to try bikes at my LBS's too. Fortunately for me, they are not.